Creation of the "Trench Watch" or Hamilton "Trench Watch" 1914

When the world entered World War I in 1914, combatants needed timepieces that could be carried through the war just as reliable as those designed for railways.

Inevitably, World War I, with its new set of challenges, created a need for a more portable watch than one that had to be pulled from a pocket. Therefore, the American watch industry adopted the use of wrist-worn pocket watches.

More well-known local manufacturers such as Waltham and Elgin had begun producing these trench clocks, which were converted from large pocket watches.

By soldering wire eyelets to the sides of the case, readjusting the dial alignment, and combining it with a leather strap, the trench watch could now be worn on soldiers' wrists.

From then on, watchmakers began to redesign their future watches by starting from scratch to make them more befitting.


(A 1918 advertisement on Hamilton's first trench clock) (Photo credit: Hamilton Chronicles)

Although Hamilton wasn't as skilled in the field as the other two, they answered the call to war. They were tasked with issuing several trench watches since 1917, doing their fair share.

The first was based on the 983 movements originally found in ladies' watches. Although the movement was intended for the other half, a zero-size ladies' pocket watch movement allowed Hamilton to produce a more proportional "wristwatch" for the other American troops in Europe.

Because trench watches were used by both land and aviation units, these esoteric watches are also known as "pilot watches." And because Hamilton continued to focus on producing them to extremely high quality, only 1,500 trench/pilot watches were produced during the war.

This marked the beginning of the American watchmaker's journey into producing watches to be issued to the military.


(An early Hamilton Trench Watch used in World War I) (Photo credit: Hamilton Chronicles)


(Note the "Lady Hamilton" signage on the dam bridge, indicating that the movement was intended for ladies' watches.) (Image credit: Hamilton Chronicles)

Source: Gnomwatches.com